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' 1
THE THUD OF THE PIGSKIN IS HEARD IN THE LAND
' By TOMMY CLARK.
$ " F"ITH tho return ot college
'Wt Jf boys fr0m vacallons ,n
ItfT T mr Europe, along tho gulf
i(T wW coast, In the. mountains,
ttt trom fictlon gangs and hay fields, come
Ifct the call of football, the sound of the
ill foot aSalnBt Pigskin and tho re-echoing
lH 0f the 5r,d,ron that will not down. As
sft yet but a mumble, this clarion will In
.H a short time start opposition to the
SP rooting of the world's aeries fans, and
Ij then football will como Into Its own.
ii j ' In soveral sections tho heroes of grid-
i iron battlea already havo overrun the
3 less ambitious baseball admirers, and
G r the discussions are of nothing else but
jy . tho possibilities of tho now rules and
i i. ,
I Phow by Amnion pros Anceiation. YALE FIRST AND SECOND ELEVENS IN SCRIMMAGE DURING PRACTICE
ij& whether or not the star fullback or
K llghtnlng-llko end will bo In condition
? or perhaps will bo able to pass by tho
K faculty restrictions.' Summer should
M be on the wane. The cold days and
B' strenuous fight of twenty-two trained
to the minute athletes are ready for
K their luin on life's little stage. The
K drama of football Is about to be cn-
acted.
J Coaches of tho bigger elevens al-
rendy are on the Job studiously looking
over tho new rules handed down by tho
committee on the Important factors of
' the game. Almost to a man these
leaders of the sport predict the grcat-
'! eat year of the game's history, point
ing out that the rules havo been so
reconstiuctcd that there Is more uncer
tainly In the outcome of the conflicts j
than ever before, and any follower of j
sport w 111 acknowledge that this un
certainty keeps footbnll In the fore-1
ground of all collego field activities.
Coincident with the matriculation in
tho numerous universities of the coun
try has come the call for practice. Vet
eran players and ambitious youngsters
alike will bo apportioned some protect
ing apparel, and immediately there will
be punting duels, running down kicks,
light formations and a long run each
day. In the cast and far west tho
practlco has been under way for some
weeks.
With four downs to make the neces
sary ton yards, a playing field shorter
by thirty feet, tho allowanco of a for
ward pass over tho goal line and tho
abolition of tho onslde kick, there
should bo scores a-plenty. Light,
speedy men, who think as fast as their
legs will carry them, should be the ma
terial sought by coaches this year.
Open formations, giving rise to plenty
of trick plays, will bo Invented by tho
Yosts, Staggs and Camps of the coun
try A new football Is to bo staged for
the edification and jollification of Amer
ica this ear. Bring It on.
According to eastern experts the new
rules lit Yale like a hobble skirt Fol
lowers and boosters of Old Ell are pre
dicting a championship year. The
Yale lino will not be heavy, and the
back field "vn III bp made up of spr'ntcrs
who have learned to start with the pis
tol Ynlo coaches. In confab at Min
neapolis last summer, decided that the
man who can beat the gun is tho man
for a back Held position this year.
Princeton. Harvard and Pennsylva
nia are- reckoned as having a big
chance to show some things this year.
Kid Gleason Says Schalk
Is a Great Catcher
""PAY SCHALK Is the cheapest ball
player ever purchased from the
minor leases, even If President Co
l , mlskey of the White Sox paid $10,000
for him. He Is worth a fortuno to any
;. team, and his vnlue will be realized as
he matures In major league expcrl
( encc."
This coming from Kid Glcason of the
White- Sox shows he has a high chU-
matc of this lad's talents as a baseball
receiver after a thorough trial In fast
' company It was Gleason who dlsco-
crcd Schalk for the White So, and the
veteran player and coach Is proud of
' his llnd.
fSchalk's work behind the plate in tho
last eastern series of the White Sox
nttractcd favorable comment at all tho
' parks. His sensational snap throws to
'tho bases caused him to be a disturb
ing factor in tho peace of tho eastorn
teams.
; It takes a veteran catcher to stand
back of the plate and receive the can-
non ball shoots of Ed Walsh, especially
f when he Is in the act of rescuing some
sliding slab associate and pulling out
W of a tight place.
m It was In the all star series with the
Athletics a year ago that it was dls
' covered certain well known catchers
?
,-
I ,
'im f$
' i :
; - f .:4'P
i ? ' Wiwi
L - WW
i- My' ?$$
CATCHER SC1IAL.IC
could not rccelvo acceptably when Ed
; WalBh wa.s pitching. They could catch
I while others wore working, but when
! Walsh a3cendod the mound they were
lncapablo of receiving satisfactorily.
Both Kuhn and Schalk can catch
Walsh,
The way Schalk recolved for Walsh
in that twelve Inning battle between
tho Whlto Sox and Bostons recently
provod ComlBkoy picked no lemon
when ho plucked this youngster from
If tho minora.
t It wnB In tho early part of tho gamo
that Schalk nhowod Bkill In catching a
& runnor off a bao that navod Chicago
I from uofoat and stopped ono of tho
I
greatest ball players of tho leaders in
his race toward home. Four hits were
made ofT Clcotte in one Inning, but.
thanks to Schalk In catching Speaker
off third, only one player scored. '
Schalk has one fault that shows his
gameness even If It cost tho White'
Sox two runs and probably a contest.
In the east. He takes a throw at tho
plalo and lets tho base runner come
into him spikes first Instead of touch
ing him out sliding to the plate.
Wagner and Carrlgan, two giants In
comparison with Schalk, were on sec- '
ond and third bases in the fourth In
ning of tho first game with Boston on
the last eastern trip, Harry Hooper
hit sharply to Weaver and the Whlto .
Sox shortstop camo running in and
whipped tho ball to Schalk at the plate
Schalk caught the ball and waited for
Wagner to como in spikes first Wagner
threw all his weight against tho ball,
knocking it from Schalk's hand3. As
tho sphcro bounded away Carrlgan.
too. came In, spikes first, and onco
moro the ball was knocked away, two
scores counting.
These were two of tho first errors of
this young catcher that counted against
tho Whlto Sox in losing a gamo since
he Joined Comlskey's team. They were
pardonable becaime veteran catchers
often suffer In tho same way. It Is
much safer to tag out a baso runner
than to let him como Into the ball
spikes first, and Callahan and Gleason
will remedy this fault of this prize
catcher. Schalk Is a good student and
an attentive listener.
ENGLISHMAN PLAYS
GOLF BLINDFOLDED
rPO demonstrate that It Is not abso
lutely necessary to keep tho eye on
tho ball, one of the first axioms taught
a beginner, Alfred Toogood, Instructor
at tho Chelsea School of Golf, in Eng
land! played a match while he was
blindfolded against A. Tlndal Atkinson
recently on the Sunnlngdalc links.
While the amateur was the winner by
tho big margin of 8 to 7, tho exhibition
did enough to convince many that
keeping tho head still Is the main thing
toward getting a correct swing. In ad
dition to being under what most golf
ors would consider tho handicap of be
ing unablo to aeo tho ball before the
swing, tho professional had soveral
other things to militate against a bet
ter showing.
He attributed his failure to win to
the fact that for ten months beforo tho
match ho had not played on tho links:
that ho was on a strango courso and
to the delay caused while ho wa3 be
ing blindfolded before each shot He
would not admit that his defeat had
upset his theory that It Is not neces
sary to keep tho eye on tho ball.
ROWER DIBBLE'S CAREER.
Bob Dlbblo of the Don Rowing club
"of Toronto Is the piesent amateur sin
gle sculling champion of Canada. Dib
ble is twenty years old and began his
rowing career a year ago, ne won tho
Junior, lntermedlato and senior sculls
events at St. Catharines In tho annual
regatta of tho Cmadlan association,
beating Evorard B. Bntler, the Argo
naut R. C, star of Toronto, in tho
oonlor sculls event. The following
week Butler won the American title at
1 Peoria. Dibble did not row In the lat
ter champlonehlp.
Tho rules are such a 'guessing match
oven more so than when tho game was
so radically changed a few years ngo
that tho coaches are unwilling to pre
dict what their teams may or may not
do. Dartmouth and Cornell as well as
the Army and Navy aro looked upon
as contenders for the eastern title, with
every game a fight and each organiza
tion a possibility from the first to tho
last whistle.
Tho "big nine" has not lined up 33
yet. but it begins to look moro Hko
Chicago than any other eleven In the
middle west. Coach A. A. Stagg has
showed an uncanny ability to teach a
team all tho new wrinkles in tho game,
and that in a short time. Ho has been I
a stickler for speed rather than for
"beef," and becauso of this It looks as
If he has tho proper foundation to
bring together a championship eleven.
Minnesota has lost Capron and Pick
ering, the former going through his de
sire to Invade the professional baseball
ranks and the latter never recovering
from tho shock of eligibility rules last
year. What tho Gophers w 111 hove to
present when the first game Is started
Is unknown now. Coach Harry Wil
liams has never failed to put a real
team Into the field, and It Is sure that
I ho will he fighting for the western
honors when the last gamo Is plajcd
Wisconsin will be without the serv
ices of many of its veterans who
brought that school the championship
last year Keckle Moll, the sensational
quarter. Is gone and with him probablv
the most skillful kicker and open field
runner In the west The Badgers, too.
will havo a new coach to become ac
quainted with, John R. Richards hav
ing resigned after a most successful
year. Faculty troubles also threaten
to besot the Badgor gridiron posslblll-
1 lies, and Horn these facts it would
seem that tho Wisconsin squad Is to be
handicapped.
What Yost will' do with his Wolver
enes should furnish tho attractlvo spec
ulation during the wait for the Initial
coptesL Fielding H. has learned the
g.uno of football from A to Z, and It Is
a sure bet that he already ha3 solved
tho offensive part of his campaign. He
has plenty of speed In his squad left
over from last year, and with the
I proper amount of assistance Michigan
should bo In tho height of its glory In
the coming campaign.
Yost's team Is now gathered at tho
Michigan resort for a few days for
its annual Instructions on the game.
Here Its instructor will look over his
material and begin pounding Into its
heads the chances of the new rules.
Yost has alwas had a couple of effi
cient forward pass workers, and If he
Is as lucky this year he should come
out on top In every encounter
Purdue, Illinois. Indiana, Iowa.
Northwestern and Ohio State are the
unknowns entered In the western lace,
and each has a chance through the
open game now Instituted Purduo fol
I6wors seem to think well of their
chances and already are boasting of
what they will do to Chicago and Min
nesota when those teams are met.
Keckle Moll will give the "boiler
makers" all the assistance possible, be
ing signed up In tho position of coach
by Purdue.
Dr. Hamtnett, Northwestcrn's leader,
succeeded In Toundlng into near cham
I plonshlp form a,n eleven last j ear, and
I with an even break with the lradors
this year, because of the new rules, ho
should put a team Into the field that
j will make them all sit up and take
notice. Dr. Hammett has not said much
, about tho approaching season, but he
Is .keeping posted as to his nien and
will bo ready for active warfare when
I the time comrs,
I Illinois will be forced to put almost
. an entire new team into the field, and
tho coaches there aro sending out
I "bear" stories of no uncertain hue.
The Illlnl do not expect to finish high
up this winter. Indiana Is not unlike
Illinois as to candidates, but the Hoo
slers aro not willing to acknowledge
defeat as yet
Iowa Is looking forward to a season
of possibilities never heard of before
by the Hawkoyc alumni and under
graduates They have many players
of last year's team expected to don
suits at the call for attention and are
predicting a year of glory for the Iowa
Institution.
What Ohio State, the newest member
of the conference, will do on the grid
iron this year Is all guesswork. The
Buckeye team has always made a good
Impression In Its annual gamo with
j Michigan and almost Invariably takes
down the honors In Ohio. Many con
I ferenco experts predict a fight between
j Chicago. Minnesota and Ohio State for
' tho premier honors thia year.
SCHULTE OF CUBS GREATEST BAT BREAKER
2?RANK SCHULTE. the heavy hlt-
1 ting outfielder of the Chicago
Cubs, breaks fifty bats a year, it is
said, so that this particular home run
hitter Is something more than a mere
fenco breaker Tho bats he uses are
of ash, well seasoned, with an unusual-
1 ly small grip, so small Indeed, that his
fellow plaers arc apt to look with
' scorn upon his private woodpile, save
I when he begins lo line them out. Small
grips aro rather uncommon, although
some of tho best batsmen the gamo has
seen used them, notably Cy Seymour
when he was at his best
Cy had a small pair of hands, which
' Interfered with his work as a pltchor.
but not as a batter and outfielder Cy
was tho cornerstono of that famous
Cincinnati outfield of years ago, which
was made up of Seymour Mike Donlln
and Cosy IJolnh These men were ter
mors In a pinch, and they used a varied
assortment o' bats, from the slender
stick affected by Seymour to the black
polo wielded by Donlln
Dan Brouhcrs used to say that the
hat made little difference so long as It
was- "comfoVtable" and so long as Its
owner looked upon It with something
akin to nfTcctlon. It might well bo add
ed that the style of the batter some
times has little to do with his hitting,
whether If bp tho choke effect Invented
by Wlllla Ivcelcr or the crouch that
Is Sam Crawford's stock In trade.
Young players make tho mistake of
ropving the style of some great batter
and of using a club tint is as nearly
a replica of tho great one's as possible.
The best all round batting stylo over
seen was that of Poole, tho Yale catch
er of years ago. yet he probably would
not have lasted long In fast company.
It used to be said of Larry Lajole
that ho could "hit tho ball a mile with
a toothpick." and of Hans Wagner,
whose real name Is John, that he was
not particular .jibout the flail ho used
so long a? he could get a ball off the
shoulder. As a matter of fact most of
the haid hitters make their long drives
from balls that would not have been
strikes had they been allowed to go to
tho catcher Unless one stands fairly
well back from the plate It Is difficult
to get tlio shoulders into a drive made
from a perfectly pitched ball.
As a rule, tho heavy hitters are not
bat breakers, and In this respect
Schulte's record Is peculiar. He must
catch the ball across tho grain much
of the time.
Baseball Strategy Behind Comedy H
Pulled Off by "Germany" Schaefer H
J CLOWN ho may bo upon the base-1
ball field and sometimes about tho
hotel lobby, a comedian ho may bo
upon the coaching lines, a scream he
may bo when Washington starts one
of Its frequent batting rallies, but
there are. times when Herman Schaef
er. utility inflelder and outfielder,
pinch hitter and coachcr extraordinary
of the Washington club, can treat the
national game with ail seriousness.
"There Is moro behind my comedy
than tho a erage fan believes. Tho
average spectitor and nine-tenths of
those who witness the gamo3 are av
erage fans and, knowing but llttlo of
tho Inside of baseballare of the opinion
that I am merely out upon the coach
ing lines to amuse," said Schaefer re
cently, "They arc mistaken. I would
not last a game In the coachcr's box If
I did not keep awako to what was go
ing on and govern msclf accordingly.
There are signs mixed up with my al
leged funny stuff that tho batters and
runners take note of and act upon. I
don't think that there Is much that
goes on in a gamo that I don't see re
gardless of what stunt I may be pull
ing off.
"Comedy alone will not serve on the
coaching lines. The real stuff must
be worked In and in such a manner
that the opposing players will not get
next
"Id humorous coaching ot value to a
team? I think so. At any rate, tho
Washington club Is going good now.
and I never warmed up to tho work as
I do at present. It Is valuablo for two
reasons It keeps our fellows in good
spirits, and It sometimes distracts tho
opposing players. I do not wish to
speak egotistically, but thoro havo
boen times when the opposing players
have taken their minds 'off the game
to watch mo In some of my stunts.
Then we shot through a play which
caught them flat footed. Now and
then a pitcher's attention to a base
runner will bo distracted long enough
for that runner to get a safe lead off
first base. Now and then an Inflelder
will forget for a second that he should
cover second on a play. Yes, 1 think
it helps Guess Griffith docs also, for
ho encourages mo In my tomfoolery.
'Do I over got Into troublo with the
umpires' Not often I understand
that Ban Johnson has told them that
my stuff is pleasing to the fans and
should be permitted "Silk" O'Lough
lln chased mo from tho lines at Chica
go but that was becauso I was eating
popcorn. Guess he was right Per
haps It made him hungry.
"Do I get the battery signs of the
opposing teams' Yes. now and then.
lAit only when the catcher Is careless.
Wheio wo get hunches on what the
pitcher Is going to throw npxt Is by
watching the Infielder.s. If thev shift
a cci tain way wo can get a line now
and then on what Is coming. The talk
about Bender and Coombs getting the
signs of the other teams Is greatly ex
aggerated, I believe. Where the Ath
letics get thorn Is from second base
Perhaps you hrve noticed that the
Athletics are always trying to stretch
MONUMENT TO FAMOUS FIGHT.
Mississippi's sporting fraternity Is
raising funds for the erection of a
monument beneath tho twin oaks, on
the beach near Mississippi City, whero
John 1. Sullivan and Paddy Ryan had
their famous fistic encounter In JSS2.
The promoters Intend to havo chiseled
on the monument the principal details
of tho bout, fought under London prize
ring rules with bare fists.
TO BUILD MANY SONDER BOATS.
New England yachtsmen contemplate
building several sondcr boats next win
ter In anticipation of the International
match with the Germans during tho
season of 1913 off Marblehcad.
AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING TEAM MAY COME. TO AMERICA
Photo by American Press Association.
THThe "tJnm1 hnCftnrMIrLnrifc'eKm u'lnncra of the S00 meter team race at the Olympic games In Stockholm, aro planning to visit America next action.
Champion ArdwlcXHealy Em! ? bSMu?0 KrCate3t t0Kihr' Tho "" ot tho team a shown in tho picture are (left to right)
singles Into doubles. Of course that H
helps by reason of sending the runner
two bases Instead of one. but it also
proves of even greater valuo to tho
Athletics In that men like Collins, Mc- H
Innls or Barry can grab tho signals H
from there. IH
"Sometimes wo mako believe wo
havo the opposing team's signs Just
for the sake of getting them oft their H
stride. Wo have them guessing, and
any time you can do that you almost
have the gamo won. H
"How do I get primed for my stuff?
Most of it Is framed on the spur of
tho moment The tight rope stunt, for H
3 - y ? - J J H
Y 7 & V.' " -- - -M. , IH
'i ' ( . I
i H
Photo by American Press Association. H
"GERMANY" SCHAEFER, WASH- H
INGTON'S COMEDIAN PLAYER H
AND COACH. H
Instance, never occurred to mo until I H
walked out on the field at Detroit ro- M
contly I think I can Improve upon H
that and then get It patented. Tho H
main thing, however, In ray brand of H
I coaching is to refrain from personal!- H
ties. I never say anything sarcastic to jM
either the fans or players. There aro H
spectators who sometimes try to make H
mo an object of ridicule. I pay no at- H
tentlon to1 them. I must Ignore any
abuso that may be handod me. No
use of taking to heart tho remarks of j
j one disgruntled fan where several
thousand enjoy my stunts."
HankO'DayStands I
Up For the Umpire H
"JT doesn't mako a bit of difference M
how often my team Is beaten, I
never blame It on the umpires." said M
Hank O'Day, managor of tho Clncln- M
natl Rods, the other day. "Three of M
my players havo been put out of games H
this year for kicking, of which I fully M
approve. There is nothing In kicking. H
anyway. The umpires aro absolutely
honest They mako mistakes some- H
times, but it evens up In the long run.
Whenever a closo decision Is rendered H
against the Reds I simply tako my M
medicine and look for a break on soma H
other play. H
"Twenty years passed as an umplrw
kept me in touch with tho methods of M
players who kick over decision's, and I
can say without fear of contradiction
that tho fellows who kick the most
don't last as long in the gamo as tho H
players who behave themselves. Look
over the major league teams of today H
and you'll readily see what I mean. H
The greatest players, with a few ex-
coptlons, aro good sportsmen. They H
know how to accopt defeat or advorao
decisions without making clowns of
themselves. Tako Christy Mathowaon, IH
for Instance. How often do you see l
him kick over balls and strikes? He
Is even tempered and has sense enough IH
to know that he can't get all of the M
breaks. H
"Umpires, as a rule, arc not swayed H
by good or bad behavior on tho part of l
the players. They can't afford to be.
It is their duty to give decisions just M
as they see the plays. Even when sub- H
jectcd to unwarranted abuso, a good
umpiro never forgets that the player
who roasts him Is entitled to a squaro fl
deal I've often heard it said that an fl
umpire, goaded to desperation, squares
accounts with his tormentors by ruling M
unfairly against them, but I don't be- M
llevo it Umpires are paid to to lm-
partial Judges on tho field, and in all IH
my experience I never heard of ono,
who intentionally tried to rob a team fl
of Its rightful belongings. M
"Tho rules against kicking have help- M
ed the umpires a lot In recent years. M
They aro backed up by Presidents fl
Johnson and Lynch more than In tho
old das when club owners exerted
their Influence at league headquarters. H
By having tho power to expel and sua- H
pend kickers without taking prolonged H
abuse, the umpires havn been able- to H
nip kicking at the outsot Tho club H
owners have come to realize that when jH
their players aro suspended for kicking H
their teams are weakened and that con- IH
sequent defeats aro due to the viola- H
tlons of the rules. That Is why, I hear, H
that many of the club owners and man- IH
agcrs are opposed to the kloking evil. H
"Baseball fans aro easily Influenced. H
They are so partisan In their feelings H
j that tho moment (hey sco a favorlto H
player wrangling with an umpiro they H
becomo aroused and proreod to make jH
the llfo of that official unbeatable. But jH
In nine cases out of ten tho player H
kicks to'covcr up his own fatiirs. How jH
many times han you seen a player H
kick over n third strike when tho ball jH
cuts the middle of the plate? Tno play- jH
er known that ho Ir, out fairly, yet ho M
makes a howl In an effort to convince jH
the crowd that ho Isn't at fault" iH